Trade Fair Overview
The grand opening of Gulfood 2018, the 23rd edition of the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade show at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) was done by Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance.
Gulfood 2018 occupied one million square feet of exhibition space. It is the world’s first major food and beverage trade event of the year and drew over 90,000 food industry professionals and 120 exhibiting county pavilions. The show welcomed international heads of state, ministers, government officials and national trade associations. Touring the mega show, which ran for five days at DWTC, Sheikh Hamdan reviewed the latest innovations and technologies that are redefining the food sector landscape as key sector players look to meet the evolving demand of a rising, younger, increasingly urbanized population.
Featuring more than 5,000 regional and international exhibitors across eight segments, including Beverages; Dairy; Fats & Oils; Health, Wellness & Free-From; Pulses, Grains & Cereals; Meat & Poultry; Power Brands and World Food, eager to get their slice of a growing global food market, which is one of largest manufacturing sectors, contributing $77.5 trillion to the world economy in 2017 according to the Gulfood Industry Outlook Report, and is forecast to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.9 per cent from 2017-2030. This is driven in part by rising populations in emerging markets within Asia Pacific and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions and a shift towards packaged and convenience foods. The UAE F&B market meanwhile, is forecast to reach $13.2 billion by 2018, according to a KPMG report.
New to this year’s show was the Gulfood Discover Zone, where new-to-market products are showcased in an exclusive and interactive lounge. The zone will feature vertical segments of Dairy; Hot Beverages; Cold Beverages; Meat & Poultry; Health, Wellness & Free-from; Confectionary; Snacks and Condiments.
Gulfood also featured Halal World Food, the world’s largest annual Halal food sourcing trade show; the annual Emirates Culinary Guild International Salon Culinaire, the world’s largest single-entry chef competition; the World Coffee Events’ 2018 Cezve/Ibrik Championship and the Gulfood Innovation Awards, which recognize best-in-class excellence and innovation across the region’s F&B industry with a glittering awards ceremony at the Madinat Arena.